Fruit-basket.



PATENTBD MAY 16, 1905.

F. BENOIT.

FRUIT BASKET.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR.14,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

a5 sa PATENTED MAY 16, 1905.

F. BENOIT. FRUIT BASKET. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 14f19`o4.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nire STATES Patented May 16, 1905.

FREDERICK BENOIT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRUIT-BASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,834, dated May 16, 1905.

Application filed March I4, 1904. Serial No.l 198,017.

To all whom it 7111141/ concern:

Be it known that 1,FREDnRIoKBnNo1T,a citi- Zen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fruit-Baskets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of fruit-baskets of the general class set forth in my application, Serial No. 148, 154, filed March 17, 1903, and which are adapted to be put together, With the exception of a handle, at the place of manufacture and shipped in the flat or unfolded condition to the place of use.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter set forth and described and will be fully. understood from the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of my improved basket, showing it closed with a cover. Fig. 2 shows the basket unfolded or in a fiat condition ready for shipment. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the basket as erected for use. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the lines 4 4 and 5 5, respectively, of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a partial plan View with the cover omitted. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is an enlarged section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 9 is an enlarged partial inside elevation of the handle.

My improved basket is provided with a floor or bottom 10, two longitudinal sides 11 11, and two ends 12 12. The sides and ends are all hinged to the bottom by wires 13. The sides are provided with interior longitudinal stitfening-strips 14 and 15 and with both interior and exterior vertical strips 1'6 and 17. The ends are provided with interior and exterior vertical strips 18 and 19 and with horizontal exterior strips 2O and 21 at top and bottom edges. The floor of the basket is stiffened transversely by strips 22, which may be located inside. The body portions of the sides and ends are formed of paper or veneer, and the bottom 10 may, if preferred, be made of the same kind of material.

Vhen the sides and ends are folded up, the strips 16 upon the sides abut against the veneer of the ends, the veneer being made to project beyond the stiffening-strips 18 and 19,

as shown at 23, and when thus folded together they are locked or secured by my improved fastener, which I Will now describe.

At 24 upon each of the ends is a pivoted lever swinging upon a pivot 25, located at its center and at the center of the upper edge of the end. This lever is provided with an integral wire, the central portion 26 whereof extends above the lever and also above the basket end and serves as a loop for securing the slip-cover 40. At each side of this loop the wire is let into the body of the lever, and rightangle bends are formed in it, upon the outer ends of which are locking-hooks, one of which, 27 ,extends upward and the other, 28, of which extends downward, said bends being' for the purpose of supporting and attaching the wire to the lever. Both vertical and horizontal sawkerfs are cut in the lever, the horizontal ones being cut entirely through. Staples 29 are employed to coniine the Wire in the saw-kerfs. The side walls of the basket are provided with loops 30, adapted tobe entered by the hooked ends on the lever-wire when the lever is swung on its pivot. The extreme point of the end 28 is doubled upon itself, as shown at 31 of Fig. 8, and this end is also deiiected or bent inward from the plane of the loop 26, as seen at Fig. 6, so that when this doubled end has in the swinging' of the locking-lever been passed through the loop 30 it will spring sufficiently to carry the part 31 to one side of the loop and cause it to engage the under surface of the side of the loop, and thus to form a stop to prevent any swinging of the lever in the reverse or unlocking direction. To release this lock, it is only necessary to press upon the wire at the end 28 suiificiently to carry the double end 31 out from under the side of the loop 30 and then to rock the lever 24 on its pivot in the direction which Will carry both the hooked ends out of loops 30.

The handle 32 is readily detachable and attachable. Its points extend down to the botformed therein.

is positioned pass through openings 36, formed in the side walls of the basket, and retaining or locking devices 37, carried by the side walls, are then passed vertically through the eyes 34. The devices 37 are in one piece with hooked extensions 38, which are passed through vertical openingsin the top stiifening-strip 14. The lower end of each extension is bent at right angles, so that the device cannot be detached; but it is permitted a limited vertical movement suiiicient to permit the point 37 to be locked in the eye of the handle. At 39 the wire of which the fastening device 37 and its extension are formed is bent upward, so as to form a projection extending' above the top edge of the basket. This projection (there being one on each side, as will be understood\)I utilize as a means of locking the slip-cover against longitudinal movement, so that when the cover is positioned upon the basket it cannot become accidentally disengaged. Said projections 39 when enteredin the cover prevent any tendency by the body fso spread under the outward pressure of the ruit.

The cover 4() is slotted at 4l and 42, the slots 42 beinglonger than the slots 41. This enables me by first engaging the'end having thelong slots under the loop 26 at one end of the basket to push the cover far enough toward that end to permit'the entrance of the loop 26 at the other end into the slots 41. When this has been done, the cover is moved back toward the end having the slots 4l until it reaches its proper position. In these movements the central portion of the cover rides over the projections 39; but the cover is flexible enough to permit it to bend upward to theslight extent required by said projections in the preliminary part of the positioning operation. When the final movement is given to the cover, however, these projections enter openings 43, formed in the cover, and allow it to spring down to its proper plane. The projections are thus enabled to effect the locking action already mentioned.

p As a further precaution against accidental longitudinal movement of the cover I sometimes eXtend the sides of the cover outwardly to a suiiicient extent to enable the formation of notches 44 therein, adapted to engage the handle. This occasions no difculty in positioning or releasing the cover, because the sides of the basket and the handle can be spread apart readily to the extent necessary to enter the handle in or release it from the notches. I prefer to make a double bend in the wire in forming the eye 34, as shown. It will be noted that when the cover is entered in the loops 26 the locking-levers will be securely held against turning on their pivots.

I claim- 1. In a folding basket having its sides and ends hinged to the bottom, the combination with the sides and ends of levers pivoted one upon each end of the basket so that its ends swing vertically, locking devices upon both ends of said levers, and suitable devices upon the inside of the basket sides for engaging said locking devices.

2. The folding basket having its side and end sections hinged to the bottom, and having such side and end sections provided with locking devices consisting of centrally-swinging vices at both ends, and devices on'the inner surface of the side sections engaged by the ends of the levers.

4. In a folding basket having its sides and ends hinged to the bottom, the combination with the'sides and ends of locking means at each end of the basket consisting of pivoted levers with locking devices atboth their ends, and suitable devices carried .by the sides and engaging said llocking devices, thelast-mentioned devices being adapted to prevent any swinging of the levers-in the unlocking direction.

5. The folding basket having its side and end sections hinged to the bottom, and' having such side and end sections provided with locking devices consisting'of centrally-swinging levers attached one'to'each end-section of the basket, and each lever having oppositely-disposed hooks at its ends, and loops carried upon the inner surface of the side sections andengaging said hooks. i

6. In a folding basket having its sides and endshinged to the bottom, the combination with the sides and ends of locking means at each end of the basket consisting of pivoted levers with locking devices at both their ends, and suitabledevices carried bythe sides and engaging said locking devices, the locking device at one end of each lever acting to engage the corresponding device on the side of the basket and prevent any releasing movement of the lever.

7. In a folding basket having its sides and ends hinged to the bottom, the'combination with the sides and ends of locking means at each end of the basket consisting of pivoted levers with locking devices at both their ends, and suitable devices carried by the sides and engaging said locking devices, said locking devices being made of spring metal and being sprung when moved into engagement with said devices carried by the sides whereby the levers are automatically prevented from any releasing movement.

8. In a folding basket having its sides and IOO IIO

ISO

ends hinged to the bottom, the combination with the sides and ends of locking means at each end of the basket consisting of pivoted levers With locking devices at both their ends, and suitable devices carried by the sides and engaging said locking devices, each lever being provided with an automatically-acting spring for preventing releasing movements by the lever.

9. The combination with the folding side and end sections of a folding basket, of locking-levers consisting of a bar pivoted centrally on a horizontal pivot and having end hooks formed in an integral Wire secured in the bar.

10. The combination With the folding side and end sections of a folding basket, and a slip-cover therefor, of locking-levers attached to the ends and serving both to lock the side sections to the ends and also having Wire loops 26 to engage the cover.

11. The combination With the folding side and end sections of a folding basket and a slip-cover therefor, of pivoted levers upon the end sections, such levers serving to unite the sides to the end sections and each having a wire loop 26 engaging the cover.

12. The combination with the folding side and end sections of a folding basket and a slip-cover therefor, of centrally-pivoted vertically-moving levers upon the end sections, such levers serving to unite the sides to the end sections and each having a Wire loop 26 engaging the cover.

13. The combination With the body of the basket and the handle, of Wire fastening devices for securing the handle consisting of interior eyes on the handle and the movable locking devices carried by the sides of the body and entering said eyes.

14. The combination with the body of the basket, the handle and the slip-cover, of Wire fastening devices for securing the handle, consisting of interior eyes on the handle and movable locking devices carried by the sides of the body and entering said eyes, said movable locking devices being provided With vertically projecting points 39 engaging the cover.

. FREDERICK BENOIT. Witnesses:

PEARL ABRAMs, EDW. S. EvARTs. 

